This is My Father's World

Reflection on Genesis 20

Ever find yourself making the same mistake twice? Abraham finds himself in another situation where a powerful man is attracted to his wife, Sarai. Because of fear (and lack of faith) Abraham pretends that Sarai is his sister, not his wife. It seems the dubious strategy relies on the hope that if the powerful ruler doesn't think Abraham is married to Sarai, they won't kill him. This may seem stupid. But I remember doing some stupid things because I was afraid

Although this story is a repetition of the one in Genesis 12, the point in this story is that Abraham believed the worst about the world he lived in. He didn't think that God's power was at work amongst the pagans.

Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ (Genesis 20:11)

But as the story goes, God was at work, even in the dream-life of Abimelech. Abimelech proves himself to have more integrity than Abraham. The author of Genesis is teaching us all that God is work beyond the boundaries we like to set up. We can live and move in the world, hopeful that God is at work, even in places that don't name His name.

This last week has been pretty awful, as far as global events go. There is tragedy and violence all over, and it can be tempting to despair, and live in fear. However, we can take great hope in the fact that 'This is My Father's World'.